This article was co-authored by Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN. Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010.

There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

If you find yourself face-to-udder with a cow and are having a hard time getting milk, it’s because milking a cow is not as easy as it may look. Before you begin milking, secure the cow’s head so that she can’t wander off. To effectively milk a cow, first clean the udder, then sit on a sturdy stool and lubricate the individual teats before you begin milking. Pull downward from the base of the teat, and squeeze the milk out into a bucket or pail.

Steps

Method1

Securing the Cow and Cleaning the Udder

1

Tie the cow to a stable fixture. Make sure the cow is wearing a halter, and tie the lead end to a sturdy post or other immovable beam. Tie the cow in a low-stress, quiet environment. If cows are anxious or afraid, the milking process will be more difficult and unpleasant for both you and the animal.[1]

If you are working on a farm that has a stanchion (a wooden box-like structure used for securing a cow’s head so that it can be milked, vaccinated, or branded), you can effectively secure the cow.

Sophisticated stanchions will have a bar or lever on the side that will gently clamp wooden or metal slats around the cow’s neck and hold it immobile. More rudimentary stanchions may need to be fastened with a crossbeam or piece of wire.

2

Approach the cow slowly. When moving near to clean the udder, speak in a low voice and gently pat her side so that she knows where you are. Cows have a 300 degree range of vision, meaning they can see all around them without moving their heads, minus what is directly in front and behind of them. Despite this great range of vision, their depth perception is pretty poor, which is why it is important to talk to the cow as you approach her from the side to let her know where you are and that you are getting closer.

Don’t make any sudden movements. If you surprise her, she may panic and kick you or step on you.

Tying the cow’s tail to her leg will prevent her from swishing you with it. Tail hair does not tie well, and it will come loose after a few minutes.

Alternatively, you can tie the tail up and around the neck, which may be less frightening to the cow.

3

Clean the teats with soapy water or iodine. During the course of a day, the cow’s teats will become covered in grass, hay, and dirt. Wash the teats before you begin milking to prevent soil—and any bacteria that it may contain—from contaminating the milk.[2] When washing, try not to drag any dirt down to your clean area. Be mindful of the direction and borders of your washed area.

Washing with warm water may help coax or “bring down” the milk.

4

Dry the teats before milking. Do not milk the cow if her teats are still wet, because the soap and water may drip down into the milk bucket and contaminate the milk.[3] Dry the teats using a clean, soft cotton cloth.

As you dry them, don’t scratch or irritate the teats. They are sensitive, and the cow may jerk or try to kick you if you cause any pain.

Method2

Milking a Cow by Hand

1

Protect or lubricate your hands. Your hands can carry bacteria, which may be harmful if transmitted to the cow. To keep both you and the cow healthy, and to avoid scratching the cow’s udder with rough hands, put on a pair of latex gloves before you start milking.[4] If you prefer not to use gloves, apply a lubricant such as petroleum jelly to your hands to minimize friction.

Some people prefer to use udder cream (also called udder balm or udder butter) to lubricate the cow’s udder. Like petroleum jelly, udder cream will reduce friction during milking. You can purchase udder cream at any farm or ranch supply store.

2

Strip each teat 3 or 4 times. “Stripping” is the process of pulling down a cow’s teat (using a normal milking grip) in order to pass any dirt, bacteria, or other debris from the milk ducts.[5] Do not catch the milk from stripping in the milk bucket, as it is generally not clean and should not be consumed.

3

Place a bucket underneath the udder. This will catch the milk that you squeeze from the udder.[6] Better yet, hold the bucket between your legs. It takes practice, but this can be done easily and comfortably. This position reduces the chance of the cow kicking over the pail of milk.

Some cows only stand still if they’re given grain or hay to munch on while you go about your business. If your cow is demanding, keep an eye on her food. Be ready to replenish it, or else she’ll let you know she wants more by becoming restless and difficult to work with.

4

Sit or squat on the cow’s right side. Seat yourself in a position that will allow you to move away quickly if the cow becomes uncooperative. If you sit on a stool to milk the cow, position it very close to the cow. Your body should be very close to the cow—practically underneath it—so that there is as little distance as possible between the bucket and udder.[7]

Sitting as close as possible to the cow protects you because if she does kick out you will merely be knocked over, versus giving her a distance to connect with and hurt you.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground is not safe, as the cow could easily step on or kick you.

5

Wrap a hand around 2 of the 4 teats. Choose diagonal teats (front left and rear right, for example). Or, try the front teats first, then the back pair.[8] Begin milking by gently clamping (almost pinching) each teat between your extended thumb and first finger, so that the teat fills your palm as you squeeze down.[9]

You may need to “bump the bag” or gently bump against/nudge the udder to help stimulate the udder to let down milk as a calf would. This can help the cows milk let down and increase your yield.

6

Squeeze down to push out the milk. As you press down on the teat, maintain your grip on the base of the teat so that the milk doesn’t flow back up into the udder. Do not jerk or yank the teats. This motion is performed by sequentially squeezing your fingers from the middle to the pinky to force the milk out. Be gentle yet firm.[10]

7

Milk until the quarter that you’re milking looks deflated. Often even looking at the quarter just milked can tell you if it’s been emptied enough or not. Whereas a full udder will appear tight and be firm to the touch, an emptied quarter of the udder will look saggy and wrinkled, and feel much softer and more malleable. Experienced farmers can feel the udder to know exactly when all the milk has come down.[11]

After you’ve milked 1 quarter, repeat the motion with your other hand on the adjacent quarter. Most people prefer to alternate (right hand, left hand, right hand, etc.) The downward squeezing motion takes less effort doing it in alternate steps than all at the same time.

8

Move on to milk the other 2 teats. If you began by milking the 2 teats on the right-hand side of the cow, you’ll need to pick up your stool and move to the cow’s left side to access the left two teats. If you used the diagonal method, switching sides is not necessary.

Watch your feet when moving near the cow. A cow often weighs over 1,000 lbs (450 kg). If she steps on your foot, those 1,000 lbs will hurt quite a bit, and could break your foot.

Method3

Milking with a Machine

1

Turn on the milking machine. The machine will need to be running for a few minutes before you begin milking the cow, in order to build pressure. Use this time to secure your cow and wash and dry her udder.

2

Hand-milk each teat a few times to let down the milk. This process is known as “stripping,” and, in addition to encouraging milk to flow from the cow’s teats, will squirt out any dirt or bacteria that has built up in the cow’s teat.[12]

Consequently, the milk produced from stripping should not be squirted into the bucket, or it may contaminate the rest of the milk. Let it fall onto the ground.

3

Release the machine’s pressure and place each suction device on each teat. As soon as you release the pressure buildup on the milking machine, suction begins. As quickly as possible, place each suction cup over one of the cow’s four teats. As milk begins to flow from the teats into the suction device, adjust the devices so that they hang straight down from the udder.[13]

Some cows lift their back leg and kick over the bucket or knock off the suction devices. Keep the handle positioned so you can grab the bucket should she decide to kick the bucket.

For this reason as well you should do your best to monitor and not walk away from the cows when they are being milked.

4

Leave the milking device on for 5–7 minutes. Wait until the machine draws all of the milk out of the udder, which will become flaccid. All cows are a little different, but most will be fully milked out within 5 minutes.[14]

Due to udder differences or teat structural problems, some cows will take more than 7 minutes to be fully milked. Keep an eye on the milking device, and make sure that milk is still flowing. As soon as milk stops flowing, remove the device.

5

Turn off the device’s suction. Then remove the suction devices from the teats. The order is important: if you try to remove the milking device while suction is still on, you risk causing pain to the cow and damaging the sensitive tissue around her teats.[15]

Many modern milking machines do not require the person milking the cow to manually remove the suction cups. Once one quarter has been milked dry, they automatically fall off, one by one.

Be careful not to trip over the milking machine’s tubes or wires as you move around the milking area.

6

Clean the cow’s udder. Cows’ teats are vulnerable to bacteria and infection immediately after having been milked, and should be cleaned and protected. The most efficient method of protecting a cow’s teats is to apply a post-milking disinfectant. This dark, thick liquid coats each of the cow’s four teats and prevents bacteria from entering.[16]

Cows often like to eat after they’ve been milked, so provide the cow with fresh grass or hay.

Community Q&A

Do not pull so hard on the udder that it causes the cow pain and discomfort, which she'll show by raising a hind leg or shifting her feet around. Another wrong way is to beat or hit her if she puts her tail in your face or kicks the pail out or tries to kick you. Anything that is not gentle or respectful to the cow is the wrong way to milk a cow.

For just a single family milk cow, all you need is a barn with a stanchion to hold the cow's head, and a pail if you milk by hand. By machine, you'll need a portable single-cow milking machine that starts with a small motor and has a milk container unit and four suction cups for milking the cow. For sanitation before and after milking, paper towels, iodine solution, and gloves (optional, you can clean your hands before milking instead), are good to have to reduce and eliminate contamination of the milk.

Milk production ability is primarily about feed quality and the nutrition of the cow. Talk to a dairy nutritionist about what you're currently feeding and what changes can be made to help increase milk production. Things like increasing more better quality long-stemmed hay may help as a start.

Video.

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This video demonstrates the hand milk technique.

Tips

Wipe down and clean the milking machine after every use to keep it in good working condition.

The stream of milk that squirts out should be solid, white, and smooth.[17] If it’s split, as if there’s an obstruction in the milk duct, the cow might have an inflammation known as mastitis, which will need to be treated. If mastitis is suspected, shoot the first few streams into a fine strainer and look for clumps. If there are clumps, seek appropriate treatment.[18] The clumps can look like giant globs of snot.

If you’re milking by hand and haven’t experienced doing it on a daily basis, your hands will get tired. A single cow can generate 10 gallons (37.9 L) in one sitting. You can take a break but you run the risk of the cow getting impatient and fidgety (which is not good.)

Warnings

You may also get smacked in the face (sometimes the eye) by her tail. This is not harmful, but it can be annoying. If this happens, be sure to wash your face and eyes—there’s a good chance there’s manure and bacteria on the tail.

Cows can kick with a limited sideways motion, as well as directly behind them.

Cows kick and they kick hard. They can knock your teeth out and give you a concussion. Be sure you’re milking a nice, gentle and well-trained cow, or have experienced supervision.

Just because the cow’s getting milked doesn’t mean she has good manners. Don’t be surprised if she drops a “cow pie” in the middle of her milking. Some cows will urinate, as well. Watch her back—if it arches, grab the bucket and move back.

Before you milk a cow by hand, lubricate your hands with petroleum jelly or udder cream to reduce friction on the udders. Gently pull on each teat 3-4 times to clear any dirt or bacteria from the milk ducts. Place the bucket under the cow’s udders and sit very close to the cow on a low stool, holding the bucket in place with your feet. Gently clamp a teat between your thumb and first finger, then squeeze downwards to push out the milk, maintaining your grip on the base of the teat as you squeeze. When the udder looks deflated, move to the next one. If you want to learn how to milk a cow with a machine, keep reading!

Article Info

This article was co-authored by Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN. Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010.